The Hindu nationalists have brigades of internet activists who chatter constantly to each other. There are thousands of them and some tweet tens or hundreds of times a day. Who are they and what can be heard amidst the chatter? I scanned about on Twitter for some insight. First, some of the cast with their self-descriptions...
"One of the most remarkable campaigns by Right-wing forces over the last few years in India goes under the startling name of “Love-Jihad”. Love Jihad crudely but effectively argues that Muslim men are waging jihad in India through so-called love- marriages. The young men apparently waging war through love – through the capture of innocent Hindu women – are also referred to as “Love Romeos”.
"Hundreds of activists of Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) held a dharna and tried to block the road near vice chancellor's residence on Friday to express unhappiness over the new logo of Banaras Hindu University. They first held a dharna at the main gate of the university and later moved towards the VC lodge. The students demanded that the old version of the logo (image of Goddess Saraswati) was a heritage and any alteration with it would not be tolerated. BHU has recently changed its logo and logo type under a visual identity programme..."
"Not many people in the world, and specially Christians in India, will recognise Phalgun Amawasya, Kaliyug Varsha 5114 as April 10, 2013. But it is an important date to remember. That was the date that in the well-known Samant-wadi, a pretty place near the southern tip of the State of Maharashtra, saw a meeting of what they described as “devout” Hindus. Samantwadi, a former principality under the Bhonsales, is known for its Brahminic traditions.
'Making a pitch for women’s empowerment before an audience of women entrepreneurs in New Delhi on Monday, Narendra Modi tacitly employed some Hindutva themes and voiced social conservatism in an otherwise largely business-oriented speech. Pointing out that the role of the mother was highest in Indian civilization, Modi rued that “1000-1200 years of slavery” led to social evils creeping in, diminishing respect for women and leading to female infanticide and eventually foeticide...
"Investigations confirmed the suspicion; evidence at the trial court all but proved his complicity. He, however, escaped with an acquittal. Immediately after Madanlal Pahwa’s failed attempt on Gandhi’s life on January 20, 1948, suspicion fixed on V.D. Savarkar as the brain behind the crime. Investigations confirmed the suspicion; evidence at the trial court all but proved his complicity. He, however, escaped with an acquittal. Deputy Prime Minister Vallabhbhai Patel was convinced of his guilt.
"Following the incident of rape in Delhi, which left a 23-year-old physiotherapy student dead, the struggle for women's rights and safety has gathered momentum in the country. While one would like to think that women across the country echo the same feelings and are probably equally restless about the patriarchal structure around which they have to arrange their lives, the RSS women's wing seems to be a study in contradictions.
"It is not a mere coincidence that Narendra Modi had labelled his tour across the state of Gujarat "Vivekananda Yatra". In a context where Vivekananda has been posited as a "leader of the youth", it is pertinent to remember the principles the man stood by – casteism, racism, slavery, patriarchy and xenophobia. He is considered by many as the first Hindutva ideologue. It is no wonder then that the right wing finds Vivekananda so useful in its agenda of "Cultural Nationalism".
'When Bal Thackeray, a one-time cartoonist turned Hindu fundamentalist leader of India, died on Saturday, the entire city of Mumbai came to a standstill. Over a million people came out to watch the procession, thousands of police, including the Rapid Action Force, were deployed to maintain calm, and commercial businesses chose to shut down. So who was Bal Thackeray and how did his death rally millions to his procession and shut down one of the biggest financial capitals in Asia?
"A beef-eating festival at a university in the Indian city of Hyderabad has led to clashes between rival sets of Hindu students, police say. They say that Hindus who regard cows as sacred fought with low caste Dalit groups who organised the event. About 1,500 people were fed beef biriyani as part of the festival late on Sunday evening. Dalit groups want beef on the campus hostel menu. Right wing Hindu groups say eating beef is not Hindu practice. Last year's event at Osmania University also ended in violence.
